Quote
“I am convinced that listening to the voice of women at the moment of the homily would enrich our Catholic worship.” | French Dominican Sister Catherine Aubin, a theologian and professor at Rome’s Pontifical Urbanian University, in a commentary published in the Vatican’s L’Osservatore Romano newspaper reflecting on the possibility of allowing laypeople, including women, to preach at Mass (Catholic News Service)
In the news
Portable path to prayer
VATICAN CITY — The Apostleship of Prayer has created a mobile app — Click to Pray — that aims to connect people around the world to pray for the pope’s monthly intentions.
The app was created as part of the relaunch of the Apostleship of Prayer, the Jesuit-run outreach that has given Catholics the pope’s monthly prayer intentions since 1890.
In an interview with Vatican Radio, Jesuit Father Frederic Fornos, international director of the apostleship, said the app responds to Pope Francis’ message for World Communications Day 2016, which stresses the power that modern means of communications have to build bridges between people.
The app allows the user to choose three times throughout the day to receive prayers. Vatican Radio reported that users also can opt to receive notifications to remind them to pray. (CNS)
Saints under 40
Beaten, not broken
Blessed Isidore Bakanja was tormented at the hands of a superior determined to strike down Christianity, but even as he suffered from his wounds he forgave his attacker.
Isidore was born into the Boangi tribe in Congo around 1887, and he converted to Christianity just a few years before his death. He was so passionate that he wore a scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, prayed the rosary regularly and tried to speak to his plantation coworkers about his faith.
However, discussing Christianity was forbidden on the plantation by the colonialist superintendent — most of the colonists abhorred the religion that promoted fair treatment. One day in 1909 the superintendent ripped Isidore’s scapular from his neck and beat the young man severely, then ordered him hidden in the jungle. Isidore managed to emerge and be rescued, but his wounds were too severe and he succumbed to them four months later. Pope John Paul II beatified Isidore in 1994. (www.meditationsfromcarmel.com)